SUMMIT, NJ - The Suburban Chamber of Commerce will present its 2016 Service Award Winners at the Chamber’s Annual Dinner, which will be held March 16 at the Grand Summit Hotel. A number of area individuals, organizations and businesses will be honored, including:

Celia Biamonti - Citizen of the Year

Recognizes an outstanding, well-rounded citizen -- living or working in the community --- who has demonstrated exemplary service by way of volunteerism and community involvement.

Active in many areas, Biamonti is Chairman, Board of Trustees, Overlook Foundation for Overlook Medical Center, President, Board of Trustees, New Eyes for the Needy, and Chair of the Advisory Council, The Discovery Orchestra.

Summit Police Athletic League (PAL) - Organization of the Year

Recognizes an organization which has consistently performed services within the community for at least five years, and has achieved or carried out one or more outstanding events or projects during the previous year.

The overarching mission of the Summit PAL is to work as a positive conduit between the community's youth and the Summit Police Department, in the belief that this linkage is critical to the social ecosystem of the community.

The Summit PAL specifically underwrites and manages programs throughout the year for the benefit of Summit youth, including the community’s nationally recognized D.A.R.E. program, and also contributes and provides financial assistance for Summit children who cannot afford to participate in Summit athletic programs funded by or through the Summit Department of Community Programs.

Miles McMahon - Silver Service Award

Recognizes a private citizen or public servant who has served at least 25 years in the Suburban Chamber’s area in multiple volunteer organizations and/or on township boards or committees. This person has demonstrated a longtime dedication and devotion to the community.

Currently on the board of Summit-based HomeTowne Television, McMahon was previously President of Senior Connections, and is volunteering to have a special monument made on behalf of signal masters -- who served on ships at sea -- and placed in a New York location to honor these gallant, unsung heroes. McMahon has also been active on a number of city advisory boards.

Ellen Dickson - Public Service Award

Recognizes any public employee of the community or the Board of Education with at least five years of service who has made significant contributions to the community or school system above and beyond the activities and responsibilities of their present job.

Dickson is the former mayor of Summit, having left that office in January culminating a career of 20 years serving Summit as either an elected or appointed City official. She served for two terms on Summit's City Council prior to her election as Summit's mayor in November, 2011, having served as Summit's Common Council president in 2009, as well as Chair of the Safety, Finance and Building & Grounds committees. In her capacity as Mayor, she also served as a member of Summit's Board of School estimate.

Recognizes public safety officials, including Police, Fire and First Aid, who have a minimum of five years of service to the community and have been involved in and contributed to an act (or acts) of exemplary service while providing for the safety of the community and its citizens.

Ferdinand Jewelers - Business Persons of the Year

Recognizes a business, or business person, who has operated a respected business in the community for at least five years, features outstanding practices, products and/or services, and has a demonstrated involvement in the community by way of contributions to local programs, events and other service to the towns and organizations.

The longtime family owned jewelry store, developed and operates “Operation Bling Foundation” a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to give sparkling, cubic zirconia jewels to cancer patients during their hospital stay bringing them cheer and pleasure.

The foundation provides, for free, an assortment of sterling silver cubic zirconium rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets to oncology patients to choose from and keep forever. To date they have made over 14,000 gifts.

Berkeley Aquatic Club (BAC) - Good Neighbor Award

Recognizes a business, property owner or organization which -- through property improvements, or the implementation of a plan -- has enhanced the beauty of community. This can be for a property's aesthetic enhancement, or for the thoughtful conservation of the community’s natural resources, resulting in a positive contribution to the overall life in our community.

A longtime Berkeley Heights business that recently moved to New Providence to expand facilities and services, the BAC renovated an existing office building to build a state-of-the-art aquatic center to meet the expanding needs of the Berkeley Aquatic Club swimming community and, in the process, expanded space to build three pools (training, lesson and therapy) to accommodate a competitive swim team, the swim school, the Masters swim program, and patients receiving aqua therapy.

Tickets for the event, which begins with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m., are priced at $80 per person, or $800 for a table of ten. To purchase tickets, or for further information, visit business.suburbanchambers.org.

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ - After receiving the “Kids Dig In” garden award grant, four raised bed gardens were delivered to Mountain Park Elementary School in Berkeley Heights. With the help of parent volunteers, students and staff, the team kicked off and jumpstarted their new garden, which the students will maintain, harvest and eventually donate to local food banks.

SUMMIT, NJ – Sitting and speaking with Hayward Wheaton at his home in Scotch Plains is like taking a step back in history. On October 30 Hayward will turn 100, and is hoping to celebrate with a small party and a big chocolate cake.

Originally from Jersey City, Hayward can remember when he made $60 a month working as an elevator operator, when the mailman came twice a day (stamps ...

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ – The council unanimously chose Toll Brothers as the redeveloper for the Hamilton Avenue Property.

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BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ - Recently the School Board honored the 2018 Educators of the Year and district retirees with a reception at Governor Livingston High School.

Each teacher was invited up to the stage by School Superintendent Judith Rattner, who provided a brief history of the teacher's time before joining the district and while in the district, then read comments from the ...

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ - The Governor Livingston varsity softball team only needed 5 innings to secure a victory against Kennedy on Monday. Though Kennedy scored first in the top of the first inning, the Highlanders scored 11 unanswered points in the first three innings to make the score 11-1. This score remained unchanged until the fifth inning, allowing the Highlanders to win by mercy ...

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I am impressed with the day-to-day leadership of our Mayor and Town Council and I hope to help them continue to do great work. As I have been doing my research since deciding to run for a seat on our Town Council, I have learned a few things about all the work that has been happening in recent years. For example, while plans for the Stratton House development were recently announced, our ...

My name is Christopher Rinaldi. As a long-time member of the Republican Party, I am running in the Republican Primary on June 5th for Township Council and Republican Municipal Committee of Berkeley Heights.

As a follow-up to my Candidate Statements from the last two weeks, I would like to share with you a few areas of direct work experience garnered over the past 25 years that I believe ...

Back in India, Holi was a holiday observed by almost all states. The holiday would be declared at all educational institutes and offices. It's a two day spring festival also known as the festival of colors. The festival signifies the victory of good over bad, the arrival of spring with the fragrance of flowers in the air and aura of warmth and happiness.

The rain did not dampen our vision for Art in the Park!! Columbia Middle School was transformed into an art paradise, filled with an array of artists whose talents are nothing short of magical! The Peppertown Park Art in the Park Committee would like to thank all of the artists who came to our very first Art in the Park event. We are in awe of your creativity and immeasurable talents! You all ...

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NJ - The Governor Livingston Hilltop Players will be hosting their annual Relay Cabaret at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 31 in the GL cafeteria. It is a night of songs, scenes, monologues, and dances from famous plays and musicals. We ask for donations at the door, and all funds raised will go to Relay for Life in the memory of our beloved technical director, Kenneth ...

Dr. Kavita Kewalramani, a board certified Internist at K Primary Care and Medical Nutrition Center in New Providence, will start with a short mindfulness meditation session, followed by the latest research on how mindful nutrition helps to improve your health and weight. Dr. K will also share a recipe for healthy protein bites which will be sampled by the audience, and discuss her weight loss ...

MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ – Police Chief Allan Attanasio is the latest member of the police department to suffer repercussions from a complaint filed against the borough on May 11. Attanasio, who is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, was “placed on administrative leave,” on Thursday by Borough Administrator and former Police Chief James Debbie, said Lt. Joseph ...

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - South Orange Maplewood School Board Member Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad got into an altercation with a South Orange police officer who stopped her for speeding last month, in which she used profanity, complained when she was issued a ticket and called South Orange Police Chief Kyle Kroll “a skinhead cop.”

It’s is a bizarre time of year as a college counselor as I find myself at both the beginning and end of this process. Sophomores and juniors are excitedly and idealistically starting to consider what will be important to them in a school. At the same time, while only separated by a year or two, my seniors have all committed within the past month to a school and have spent the ...

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